Question: Can this be used to power a 5w wireless camera? Is this charger water resistant? Can it be placed outdoors?

The 5W solar panel will produce peak amperage of 0.96 Amps. This would not be enough to power your camera. The panel does not have a battery or a way to store power.

Question: How much does the 5W model weigh?

Renogy E.Flex5W Plus weight is 5.6 oz.

Customer Feedback

Most customers gave the device a good rating.

Here are some of the comments:

"I've been pretty happy with this charger so far. It's done a good job of charging iPads, phones and the external power pack battery. It travels well. The loops for tying the panel down work well. When folded up, I believe the case will protect it from rough handling."

"I've used Renogy E.Flex 5W Plus in light rain and on a kayak. The panel can get wet but not the charge port to keep performance."

My complaint is about delamination occurring in the top layer of the PV laminate. Some bubbles have appeared under the plastic. The cable for the USB plug should be more robust.

I've taken this charger on camping and backpacking trips. My phone screen lights up every time the charger panel moves from sun to shade or back again when hiking. This makes my phone discharge faster than if the screen stayed off. With a battery bank this is not a problem. When I get to camp I normally plug my phone directly to the panel, provided that the sun is still out and there is no tree cover.

Pros & Cons

Pros:

This panel could work very well for use in a car when camping.

On a sunny day the Renogy E.Flex 5W Plus can charge a 3000mAH external battery from 0 to 100% in about 6 hours.

On a sunny day, if angled towards the sun, this panel would charge a Nexus 5 as quickly as a wall charger.

It is stiff and robust so no worries putting it in a backpack.

After 5hr hiking on a sunny day with the 5W attached to a backpack the charge of a phone with 3000mAh battery is about 20%.

This panel would charge to 100% for the same battery in a stationary position. Use a strategy of charging a USB battery at the camp from the stationary cell while the sun shines, and charging your electronics from the battery at night.

Cons:

The port on the back of the panel is not water proof. If you are using this device outside in a dusty, wet, muddy or salty environment this will become a problem. This can be solved using ~1m USB cable so that non-waterproof connection could be protected inside a backpack, or otherwise out of the elements.

Internal pocket is too small for 5 inch iPhone.

Renogy E.Flex 5W Plus is rather heavy for its size (problem when hiking with a pack).

It’s difficult to get a charge on the go even attached to the top of a backpack.

Recommendation

The Renogy E.Flex 5W Plus is a portable Solar Charger panel giving a solar backup capacity for small devices and battery. Some customers say it’s a great unit and highly recommend it. Check out the price using the button below. Please explore the other articles on the site and leave a comment below. Please feel free to pass this blog on.